How to Deal with an Injured Lip

Oral injuries can be quite inconvenient and even stressful. This is because oral and head injuries tend to bleed a lot. However, when you experience an oral or head injury, it’s important to stay calm and assess the situation. For an injured lip, our dentist, Dr. Kaveen encourages you to do the following things:

First, you should try to wash the area. Use warm water to remove any debris from the wound and to clean the lip. This will help you reduce your chances of infection and assess the injury. If washing the area is too painful, don’t worry too much about it.

Second, you should try to stop the bleeding. This is an important step. Find some sterile gauze or a clean towel and place it over the injury. Then, apply pressure until the bleeding stops. If the gauze or towel becomes too soaked with blood, replace it with a new one and reapply the pressure.

Third, you should reduce swelling. You can do this by wrapping an ice cube or ice pack in a towel and placing it on the injured part of the lip. Remember to only ice the area for 15 minutes at a time. This will help reduce swelling as well as pain.

Please remember: There are times when you should visit a doctor or Urgent Care facility, and that is when the cut needs stitches, the bleeding won’t stop, and there is a fracture involved with the injury. For more information and details about how to deal with an injured lip in Portland, Oregon, please reach out to our dental team at Portland Dental. All you need to do is dial (503) 221-8123 and we will be more than happy to help you!